I have a large hole in my living room wall that was done by my children while playing, It is the size of a basketball and some of my friends have told me that I can repair the hole myself without hiring someone who will charge you an arm and a leg for something so simple, well it's not so simple if you haven't the slightest clue as to where to start

To start, go to your nearest depot and grab a piece of drywall remnant that they are throwing away at no charge. You don't need that much. Using an exacto knife cut out a square around the hole so that you have a nice clean cut. Cut your new drywall to fit the square in the wall. Get some drywall tape and tape the new drywall in the hole. Take some drywall compound and a spatula (not from the kitchen, a carpenters spatuala) and apply a thin coat over the tape. Once that dries apply another coat of compound. Once that dries you will want to take some fine sandpaper and sand it smooth, ensuring that you have smoothed out the edges. Once you feel it is finished you will need to put on some drywall primer and then your next step is to paint.